Missions & Projects
For further mission information, data, research, and other resources, see Ocean Ecology Projects.
Featured
Alphabetical
By Last Name:
Displaying records 1 to 19 of 19.
Show:
Compact Optical Profiling System (C-OPS)
The C-OPS instrument is a culmination of several new technologies, each focused on different aspects of resolving the optical complexity of the near-shore water column. Although C-OPS represents a significant improvement over legacy profilers, it was designed from inception specifically to operate in shallow coastal waters and from a wide variety of platforms ranging from offshore towers, small boats, and ocean-class research vessels. Electronically, the system is self-organizing; when initially powered, the aggregator queries each instrument to determine the optimal power required for operation over the existing length of the cables and the population of detectors available to the configuration.
Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN)
CyAN is a collaborative project among EPA; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); the United States Geological Survey (USGS); and, as of 2023, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to develop an early warning indicator system to detect algal blooms in U.S. freshwater systems.
Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI)
The Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) is one of the three payloads onboard the Communication, Ocean and Meteorological Satellite (COMS). It acquires data in 8 spectral bands (6 visible, 2 NIR) with a spatial resolution of about 500 m over the Korean sea. The ocean data products that can be derived from the measurements are mainly the chlorophyll concentration, the optical diffuse attenuation coefficients, the concentration of dissolved organic material or yellow substance, and the concentration of suspended particles in the near-surface zone of the sea. In operational oceanography, satellite derived data products are used in conjunction with numerical models and in situ measurements to provide forecasting and now casting of the ocean state. Such information is of genuine interest for many categories of users.
Hawkeye
The Hawkeye instrument, flown onboard the SeaHawk CubeSat, is optimized to provide high quality, high resolution imagery (120 meter) of the open ocean, coastal zones, lakes, estuaries and land features. This ability provides a valuable complement to the lower resolution measurements from previous missions like SeaWiFS, MODIS and VIIRS. The SeaHawk CubeSat mission is a partnership between NASA and the University of North Carolina, Wilmington (UNCW), Cloudland Instruments and AAC-Clyde Space and is funded by the Moore Foundation under a grant for the Sustained Ocean Color Observations with Nanosatellites (SOCON).
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)
MODIS (or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) is a key instrument aboard the Terra (originally known as EOS AM-1) and Aqua (originally known as EOS PM-1) satellites. Terra's orbit around the Earth is timed so that it passes from north to south across the equator in the morning, while Aqua passes south to north over the equator in the afternoon. Terra MODIS and Aqua MODIS are viewing the entire Earth's surface every 1 to 2 days, acquiring data in 36 spectral bands, or groups of wavelengths (see MODIS Technical Specifications). These data will improve our understanding of global dynamics and processes occurring on the land, in the oceans, and in the lower atmosphere. MODIS is playing a vital role in the development of validated, global, interactive Earth system models able to predict global change accurately enough to assist policy makers in making sound decisions concerning the protection of our environment.
NASA Ocean Biology Distributed Active Archive Center (OB.DAAC)
NASA's OB.DAAC archives and distributes ocean-color and sea-surface-temperature products from a host of domestic and international missions.
NASA's Ocean Biology Processing Group (OBPG)
NASA's Ocean Biology Processing Group (OBPG) supports the collection, processing, calibration and validation of ocean-related products from a number of NASA, NOAA, and international missions.
Ocean Ecology Field Support
The Ocean Ecology Laboratory (OEL) maintains an on-site Field Laboratory for biological, biogeochemical, and interdisciplinary ocean research.
Ocean Land and Colour Instrument (OLCI)
The Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) is the successor to ENVISAT's Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) having additional spectral channels, different camera arrangements and simplified on-board processing. The OLCI is a push-broom instrument with five camera modules sharing the field of view. The field of view of the five cameras is arranged in a fan-shaped configuration in the vertical plane, perpendicular to the platform velocity.
Optical Sensors for Planetary Radiance Energy (OSPREy)
An Optical Sensors for Planetary Radiance Energy (OSPREy) system consists of radiance radiometers mounted on computer-controlled pointing systems and irradiance radiometers equipped with shadowbands. Synchronous and asynchronous sampling modes measure the sea, Sun, and sky, across a wide spectral range---the ultraviolet (UV), through the visible (VIS) and near-infrared (NIR), and into the short-wave infrared (SWIR)---to derive an unprecedented number of near-simultaneous atmospheric and oceanic parameters. This new sampling capability is designed to provide vicarious calibration and algorithm validation capabilities which will also improve the following: a) the atmospheric correction of ocean color data, b) the accuracy in separating the living and nonliving components of seawater, c) the derivation of water-leaving radiances and associated data products in optically complex (coastal) waters, and d) the understanding of the interaction between the ocean and atmosphere.
PACE Postlaunch Airborne eXperiment (PACE-PAX)
PACE-PAX is a field campaign to support validation of PACE data products following launch. Validation requires a strategy of varied and extensive measurements, as discussed in the PACE Science Data Product Validation Plan. PACE-PAX is one component of the PACE validation plan, specifically addressing validation of new data products. Because these products are often the result of multi-parameter retrieval algorithms, focused and extensive measurements will be made as part of a dedicated field campaign. This campaign will use a robust suite of instruments deployed on aircraft, which will fly in coordination with ground and ocean-based observations and the PACE satellite overpass. It will be conducted roughly six months following the launch of PACE.
Key Staff
- Principal Investigator: Kirk Knobelspiesse
- Deputy Project Scientist: Ivona Cetinic (she/her)
Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE)
PACE is NASA's Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem mission. It launched on February 8, 2024, extending and improving NASA's over 20-year record of satellite observations of global ocean biology, aerosols (tiny particles suspended in the atmosphere), and clouds.
Key Staff
- Applications Coordinator: Erin Urquhart
- Polarimeter Lead: Kirk Knobelspiesse
- Science Data Segment Manager: Bryan Franz
- Science Data Segment Deputy Manager: Sean Bailey
- Ocean Color Atmospheric Correction Lead: Amir Ibrahim
- Project Scientist: Jeremy Werdell (he/him)
- Deputy Project Scientist: Antonio Mannino
- Deputy Project Scientist: Brian Cairns
- Instrument Scientist: Gerhard Meister
- Senior Scientist: Susanne Craig
- Senior Scientist: Violeta Sanjuan Calzado
- Senior Scientist: Ivona Cetinic (she/her)
SeaHawk
The SeaHawk-1, a 3U CubeSat with HawkEye Ocean Color Sensors, is a partnership between NASA and the University of North Carolina, Wilmington (UNCW), Cloudland Instruments, and AAC-Clyde Space and is funded by the Moore Foundation under a grant for the Sustained Ocean Color Observations with Nanosatellites (SOCON). The aim of the project is to observe the changing biology of the ocean surface. Seahawk was launched in 2018 and is operated from AAC Clyde Space’s Glasgow Operations Centre, with instrument data downloaded to NASA Wallops facility, through the satellite’s X-band downlink. The data is integrated into NASA’s SeaWiFS Data Analysis System and distributed worldwide by the NASA Ocean Biology Distributed Active Archive Center. The data gathered by SeaHawk will enable greater understanding of the marine food chain, oceanic climate, fisheries and pollution phenomena. This information will be vital to our ability to monitor and support the health and sustainability of our oceans.
Sentinel-3
The main objective of the Sentinel-3 mission is to measure sea surface topography, sea and land surface temperature, and ocean and land surface colour with high accuracy and reliability to support ocean forecasting systems, environmental monitoring and climate monitoring.
The Sentinel-3 Mission Guide provides a high-level description of the mission objectives, satellite description and ground segment. It also covers an introduction to heritage missions, thematic areas and services, orbit characteristics and coverage, instrument payloads and data products.
The Sentinel-3 mission is jointly operated by ESA and EUMETSAT to deliver operational ocean and land observation services.
Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi-NPP)
The Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership, formerly known as the NPOESS Preparatory Project, will serve as a bridge between the EOS satellites and the forthcoming series of Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) satellites. Suomi-NPP represents a critical first step in building this next-generation satellite system. The JPSS satellites, previously called the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS), will be developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Key Staff
- Deputy SIPS Manager: Bryan Franz
- Project Scientist: James Gleason
- Deputy Project Scientist: Nai-Yung Hsu
- Instrument Principal Investigator: Miguel Román
Surface Biology and Geology (SBG)
Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) is a Directed Observable mission from the 2017 Decadal Survey. A wide swath visible-to-shortwave infrared imaging spectrometer and a wide-swath thermal imager will provide mow-the-lawn global coverage of Earth’s terrestrial, coastal and open ocean surfaces as well as atmospheric conditions. SBG addresses decadal survey science and applications focal areas including snow, coastal ecosystems, vegetation health, volcanic activity, and mineralogy. Launch readiness date is approximately late 2020s.
Key Staff
- GSFC Calibration and Validation Lead: Kurtis Thome
- GSFC DEIA Lead: Ayia Lindquist
- GSFC Science and Applications Lead: Shawn Serbin
- Co Investigator: BENJAMIN POULTER
Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT)
The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission is NASA's first global survey of Earth's surface water. Using state-of-the-art "radar interferometry" technology to measure the elevation of water, SWOT will observe major lakes, rivers and wetlands while detecting ocean features with unprecedented resolution. SWOT data will provide critical information that is needed to assess water resources on land, track regional sea level changes, monitor coastal processes, and observe small-scale ocean currents and eddies.
Sustained Ocean Color Observations using Nanosatellites (SOCON)
SOCON is a proof-of-concept project to demonstrate the capability to construct low-cost autonomous nanosatellites – a.k.a. CubeSats – capable of producing high-resolution ocean color imagery. Its first spacecraft, SeaHawk, is only 10 cm x 10 cm x 30 cm (less than 4 in x 4 in x 12 in) in size and weighs less than 5 kg (11 lbs)! Funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and led by University of North Carolina Wilmington, HawkEye data will be distributed through a free and open data distribution policy on NASA's OceanColor Web. In addition, SeaDAS software will be modified and made available for HawkEye image processing, display and analysis. SOCON's ultimate goal is to develop a constellation of SeaHawks that provide global measurements of ocean color. Such observations are essential to monitor the health of our living ocean and its ability to sustain important fisheries
Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS)
The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument collects visible and infrared imagery and global observations of land, atmosphere, cryosphere and oceans. Currently flying on the Suomi NPP and NOAA-20 satellite missions, VIIRS generates many critical environmental products about snow and ice cover, clouds, fog, aerosols, fire, smoke plumes, dust, vegetation health, phytoplankton abundance, and chlorophyll. VIIRS will also be on the JPSS-3 and JPSS-4 satellites.
